Google Glass: Westpac is trialling a banking app for the wearable gadget.

"We are currently trialling a version of the St. George MoneyMeter app on both smart watches and Google Glass. We are also trialling the branch and ATM locator on smart watches in the Westpac brand," Harry Wendt, general manager of digital at Westpac, told Fairfax Media.

"Our intention is to test and learn and then use what we have learnt to introduce it into our other brands."

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The group is also trialling its New Zealand Cash Tank app on Google Glass.

"By the end of this year our customers will be able to walk into a shop wearing their Google Glasses, see something they like and instantly check their bank balance which will be displayed in their peripheral vision – that's pretty cool," Westpac NZ chief digital officer Simon Pomeroy said.

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He said the bank would extend the functionality to offer customers transfers between their bank accounts, the ability to receive account alerts and also find the nearest ATM or Westpac branch.

Google Glass is not yet available commercially, but developers are working to have their apps ready when the devices hit stores, which is expected to be sometime this year.

Westpac customers in both countries can soon also receive location-based offers and messages through Apple's iBeacon when they walk past a shop or bank branch.

A proof of concept using the new Bluetooth-based technology is under way in three Australian branches, but the bank said its potential went beyond retail to "theme parks, concert venues and stadiums, as well as restaurants and car companies."

"We look forward to seeing how these trials go in both Australia and New Zealand as we continually look for new ways bring these technologies to life for customers," Wendt said.